A direct attach cable (DAC) is a fixed assembly that is purchased at a given length, with the connector modules permanently attached to each end of the cable. The direct attach cable is designed to use the same port as an optical transceiver, but compared with optical transceivers, the connector modules attached to the DAC leave out the expensive optical lasers and other electronic components, thus achieving significant cost savings and power savings in short reach applications.

Types of DAC

The direct attach cable can be divided into different types according to different criteria. According to the cables used, the direct attach cables include copper cable assemblies and fiber optic cable assemblies. Besides, DAC cable assemblies...

With the economics-driven growth of fiber communication networks over the past few decades, there is an increasing demand for cables which can provide a lower-power means for operation on short fiber optic links or short copper connections such as the direct attach cables (DAC) that will be described in this article.

What is DAC

A direct attach cable (DAC) is a fixed assembly that is purchased at a given length, with the connector modules permanently attached to each end of the cable. The direct attach cable is designed to use the same port as an optical transceiver, but compared with optical transceivers, the connector modules attached to the DAC leave out the expensive optical lasers and other electronic components, thus achieving...